Joe Maring / Android Authority
Ever since Android TV underwent its transformation to Google TV a few years ago, I have had mixed feelings about the subsequent redesign of the home screen interface. While I appreciate the more modern-looking interface on one hand, the number of sponsored content suggestions has steadily increased over the years to the point of frustration.
Simply put, I find sponsored content unacceptable after paying a fair price for the underlying hardware. And unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer an ad-free option either — you get the same ads regardless of whether you pay $20 for the Onn 4K or $200 for the NVIDIA Shield, and even if the OS is preloaded on your $2,000 TV.
The only streaming device I know of that doesn’t bombard you with ads is the Apple TV 4K. But right as I was ready to enter Apple’s walled garden, I learned that there’s an easy way to get rid of ads on Google TV. Best of all, it utilizes the oldest customization trick on Android: a third-party launcher.
Ads begone: A third-party launcher is all you need
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
Even though Google doesn’t use the Android TV branding anymore, the underlying operating system remains just as customizable and extensible as the one running on your smartphone. And just like the latter, you can install your preferred replacement launcher — as long as it’s built specifically for the TV version of Android. While several options exist, the most popular option (and the one I ended up using) is Projectivy Launcher.
Getting Projectivy Launcher is extremely easy and straightforward on most Google TV devices. Just open the Play Store and search for it, or you can install it from the web or your phone. Once installed, simply provide the requisite permissions and it should work right away. That said, I did have to enter Projectivy’s settings menu and enable a setting to force override the default Google TV launcher. This requires the Android accessibility permission, though.
Projectivy Launcher also makes the Google TV experience much smoother.
Just like any Android launcher you might have used over the years, Projectivy is chock full of customization options. But that doesn’t mean it’s cluttered — it’s quite the opposite, in fact, and is more reminiscent of the old Android TV interface. By default, it displays a list of your currently installed apps, and that’s about it. The stock launcher is responsible for the ads and sponsored content you typically see on a Google TV device. So once you install Projectivy and set it as your default, you won’t see any more ads on your device.
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